Alo Clothing giveaway.

HEY dollbabes.

Just yesterday I raved about how much I love Alo exercise clothes. Check out how FUN their line is!

Umm, can I be part of an Alo photo shoot?? Just kidding butnotreally 😉

I’m thrilled to share that Alo has been kind enough to give a Keyhole Tank to one of my lucky readers! (as shown below)

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Alo giveaway details.

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There are three (3) ways to enter:

  • “Like” the Alo Facebook page (required)
  • Follow Alo on Twitter
  • Tweet about this giveaway (“I want to win the @aloclothing giveaway hosted by @GracieMeetsLife!”)

You MUST leave a comment on this post for each entry in order for them to be considered for this giveaway.

This contest will run all weekend and end on Sunday 10/24/10 at 5pm EST. Contest is limited to US residents.

One more thing - Alo is also offering 20% off any purchase on Alosport.com! Just enter the code “bloglove2010” for the discount.

Good luck :)

fashion and fitness unite.

A few weeks ago Gabriela did a post about exercise fashion, and I could absolutely relate. I often rock old gym shorts paired with a massive t-shirt when I exercise. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that, but there is definitely something fun and even more motivating when cute and sassy workout clothes are involved!

I’m always looking for nice yet comfortable exercise clothes, so when I was contacted by Alo to give their workout gear a try, I happily obliged. It’s not always easy for me to find workout clothes that fit well, though, so I was a bit nervous when the gear arrived in the mail. To my delight, I seriously loved what I tried on.

I really liked the print and design of this Keyhole Tank…

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…but what I liked even more was how it fit. Stretchy + soft + built-in bra…this covered pretty much all the bases.

I really loved the Color Block Pants as well. Like with the top, the material is stretchy yet super soft and comfortable. They’ve also got a great thick band across the waist, which is important because I can’t stand when workout pants are too low.

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One of the best things about Alo is that it’s actually a green clothing line.

How cool is that?! And while these pieces are a bit more pricey than what I’d usually spend, I can tell that they’re going to last me for at least a few years.

Mission fashion meets fitness…success! Be sure to stay tuned because there may or may not be a chance to get some Alo sportswear of your own in the near future 😉

  • What does your exercise attire usually look like?

fashion myths debunked – part 2.

Oh HEY sweetpeas! :) It’s that time again – let’s bust some more fashion myths, shall we?

(Click here if you missed part one.)

Myth #3: Horizontal stripes are unflattering.

Truth: I’m not buying it. I’m a firm believer that any body type can wear horizontal stripes – you just have to know how to work it.

Pair a horizontal striped top with a high-waisted skirt for a chic and flattering look, a la Kim K.

A fitted blazer can also add structure to horizontal stripes.

Navy and white striped skirt

Lastly, belts are a good way to break things up so you don’t get “lost” in a striped pattern.

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Myth #4: Don’t mix patterns.

Truth: Please DO mix patterns! Matching is so…boring. Take my word for it (her’s too ;)).

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Although it’s *not* necessary, you can play it safe by mixing patterns with similar colors - like this floral shirt + leopard cardigan (both from H&M):

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That’s all for today! Keep it real, sassy ones. xoxo G

  • Do you agree that these are fashion myths?
  • What other fashion “rules” would you like to see broken?

unhappy bargainista.

This is what happens when you buy pre-worn boots off of eBay.

Clearly tape didn’t work 😕

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The upside? I spent less than $50 on leather boots that lasted me almost 3 years and they were already broken in.

So remember – when it comes to being a bargainista – you have to take the good with the bad.

…and make sure to have a good shoe-repair guy.

fashion myths debunked – part 1.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my fashionista best friend Nicki, it’s that there are no rules when it comes to fashion. Here are a couple of supposed fashion “don’ts” that you can proceed to completely rebel against, k?

Myth #1: You can’t wear white after Labor Day.

Truth: Rubbish! You can wear white whenever your sassy self wants to. Wearing white in the fall and winter months can actually be quite chic.

Tip: When wearing white during the fall and winter months, opt for sweaters, coats, and accessories (stay away from the white linen pants, pretty please).

Myth #2: Never wear black and brown together.

Truth: Not only can you wear black and brown together, but you should wear black and brown together.

In fact, I actually prefer mixing browns and blacks instead of wearing all one color. For example, I love wearing my black bomber jacket with brown boots, and vice versa.

Tip: If mixing with black, stick to one shade of brown – preferably a lighter/copper tone as opposed to dark brown.

Sorry fashion rule-makers, we’re on to you.

  • What fashion rule do you tend to follow?
  • What fashion rule do you hope is a myth? :)

September favorites.

Hello there, lovebugs! It’s the last day of September, so it’s time to take inventory of all our favorite foods, trends, and pop culture tidbits! All the important things, of course. Starting with…

food.

Do you even have to guess? Pumpkin.

Sometimes trends get on my nerves, but can I really blame the entire world and their mothers for obsessing over this fall-favorite?

Some of my favorite ways to eat pumpkin are in pancake form:

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pumpkin oatmeal:

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in cookies:

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the list goes on!

exercise move.

I have a serious love/hate relationship going on right now with pull ups.

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^ Sorry – had to throw that in there 😛 ^

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Let’s just say I now understand why people say pull ups are one of the most difficult exercise moves…which is all the more reason why I want to conquer them.

***Tip: according to April, to make progress with pull ups - do as much as you can until you reach muscle failure. Trying negative pull ups can be helpful as well.

beauty product.

See this New York Color bronzer?

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I got this for just about $5 at the pharmacy, and it’s one of the best bronzers I’ve ever tried. Considering I got it as a temporary replacement for my $25 bronzer that broke into a million pieces…I’d say that makes it quite favorite-worthy.

fashion.

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Bomber jackets have been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now…hence why I may or may not own 4 of them. I just can’t seem to stop myself from snagging them off the store shelf! This chocolate brown one is my newest addition, a la Forever 21.

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band.

Sigur Ros has and always will be a favorite band of mine.

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Their music has especially come in handy over the past month when I try to convince myself that my life is like a movie in need of a soundtrack. If you like happy/pretty music, check them out.

workout song.

Dust in Gravity (Sultan and Ned Shepard Radio mix) by Delerium. Dance/house music is my new guilty pleasure, and this song satisfies that inner glow-stick-user inside of me.

television show.

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Up until now, the only sitcoms that can get me to laugh out loud have been Seinfeld and 30 Rock. We can officially add Modern Family to that list.

pop culture event.

I’m certainly not the world’s biggest sports fan, but I do love my Phillies. So when they went from having a not-so-hot season to being the NL east champs this month, I faithfully became the fair-weather fan I was always meant to be.

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More so than the Phillies themselves, I can’t help but love how psychotic exciting and fun the Philadelphia area gets when our only successful sports team is doing well.

decision.

As strange as this may sound, deleting my personal Facebook account was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

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I would’ve never guessed how great it feels to no longer – let’s be honest here - stalk or be stalked. Strangely enough, I don’t miss Facebook a fraction of the amount that I thought I would.

blogs.

1. One of my favorite things about reading blogs is when you can really sense someone’s personality through their writing. I get that impression when I read Hangry Pants. Heather comes across as a real and relatable person, and I sometimes wonder if she realizes just how funny she is!

2. Maybe I’m biased because I know how awesome she is in real life, but I’m seriously loving Emily’s new blog, A Lady in Love. Not only does Emily have a great writing style (her relationship and “top 10” posts are especially hilarious), but homegirl is pretty much my guru when it comes to all things makeup-related.

quotes.

Slap a da bass.” <— I just can’t help but LOL when people say this. Please tell me you know what movie that’s from…? :)

“The urge to go out dancing and partying, to celebrate every sunset or at least every weekend by getting together with friends…seems to be as ancient as human life. If we all had to make a list of our top-ten most fun times, almost everybody would probably include at least one night on the dancefloor.” – Unknown

“I’d rather have a life of ‘oh wells’ than a life of ‘what ifs.’” – Yours truly

  • What were your September favorites?